Chased by a ruthless and powerful enemy, Xhosa flees with her People, leaving behind a certain life in her African homeland to search for an unknown future. She leads her People on a grueling journey through unknown and dangerous lands. As they struggle to overcome treachery, lies, danger, tragedy, hidden secrets, and Nature herself, Xhosa must face the reality that her most dangerous enemy isn’t … isn’t the one she expected. It may be one she has trusted with her life.
The story is set 850,000 years ago, a time in prehistory when man populated most of Eurasia. He was a violent species, fully capable of addressing the many hardships that threatened his survival except for one: future man, a smarter version of himself, one destined to obliterate any who came before.
This is a Hero’s Journey. Early man is the Hero and survival — or extinction — is the journey. My hero–as befits a thriller–is bigger-than-life and regularly does the impossible. Which is good because the future of mankind is at stake.
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Xhosa continues her journey leading The People to a new homeland against impossible odds. She must survive cold, heat, lack of water and food, as well as those who wish to destroy her People. Other tribes try to stop them, but they aren’t the only danger- someone in her tribe has become the enemy, and it is up to Xhosa to stop him before another member dies.
This is a fast-paced novel filled with interesting characters and descriptions that place the reader smack in the paleolithic time period where the basic fight for survival supersedes almost everything else.
I was especially drawn to the relationships such an existence forged between Xhosa, her People, and the strays she gathers along the way. One of the standouts is leader Pan-do and his love for daughter Lyta. His is the voice of calm and reason while Lyta- the dreamer- is adored by the tribe even though she has a deformity that normally means death for children who must contribute to the tribe or be left behind.
Another favorite is Zvi, a female Other who towers over most males, is strong as a mammoth, and has a heart of gold.
This story may be set in prehistoric times, but it touches on subjects that are just as relevant today; sexual abuse, family values, love and betrayal.
This series is well worth the read!
This is the second book of the Crossroads trilogy, and it picks up right where “Survival of the Fittest” left off. I loved the first book and couldn’t wait to continue the journey. Xhosa continues her quest to get her people to safety. Although I loved Xhosa’s strength and interactions with her people, it’s the wolf that held my heart. The journey in this prehistory world is fast-paced and full of danger. The details drew me into their world without weighing down the action. There is the perspective through the group that broke off from Xhosa’s people which added to the depth of this narrative. The characters all struggled to survive with sustenance, shelter, and the quest for control which is not much different than modern times. I’m enthralled with prehistoric fiction and this series. I can’t wait for book three. I highly recommend “The Quest for Home” and the rest of the Crossroads books!
After reading Jacqui Murray’s first book in her Crossroads Trilogy, I was looking forward to reading The Quest for Home which picks up where Survival of the Fittest left off. The author does an excellent job with character development. I especially enjoyed how she goes into great detail about primitive life. Her talent for world-building is superb as she makes you feel as though you’re living among the people. It’s obvious Murray spent an enormous amount of time doing her research, which I admire. I highly recommend this fast-paced story if you enjoy prehistoric fiction or if you just feel like taking an action-packed adventure.
The Quest for Home – a beautifully written history of our ancestors.
Having read book one – Survival of the Fittest, I was eagerly awaiting the second in the Crossroads Trilogy, The Quest for Home. And I most certainly was not disappointed. Thanks to the author’s extensive research and storytelling in the first book, I was already familiar with the era, the main characters and the environment that they are existing in, and it was easy to slip back into their world. Jacqui Murray writes so vividly, that you forget that communication would have been mostly non-verbal, and that these ancestors of ours, would have looked somewhat different from the faces and and bodies we see in the mirror each day.
They are human, and as well as an extraordinary instinct for survival, they also exhibit the same emotions we do today. Jealousy, greed, betrayal but also love, sacrifice and great courage in the face of what would seem insurmountable odds. Harsh landscapes and weather, lands that are fiercely guarded by uncompromising guardians, internal turmoil and politics and lack of shelter, food and water.
We follow Xhosa’s people with their fellow travellers from different tribes and stages of human evolution, on a quest to find the promised land of plenty. Not so different from many of present day humans who are on a migration path to find a sanctuary. We are also drawn into the challenges suffered by Rainbow’s people who split from Xhosa in the last book. They too face dangers and disputes as they seek to return to the safety of her leadership.
It is an adventure, thriller, love story, mystery and also a moving history of our people. Those that 850,000 years ago, migrated across uncharted territory to find a place to call home, are worthy of our respect.
I highly recommend that you read the two previous books by Jacqui Murray about early man, beginning with Born in a Treacherous Time and then Survival of the Fittest, and get to know and understand where you have evolved from.
This story takes place where Survival leaves off. Xhosa and her people are on a quest for a new home. She has a small tight group, including a wolf, that she can depend on. Xhosa leads with compassion and courage. Her goal: keep her people safe. The odds are stacked against her, weather, rival bands and worst of all betrayal from an unexpected source, still she perseveres.
Murray has created a story rich in history and has built a solid world with a colorful cast of characters. I found myself rooting for the protagonists and hoping the villains got their comeuppance.
I can’t begin to imagine the hours of research, not to mention the actual writing time, that went into this wonderful gem of a story. I highly recommend this book. It’s a must read for those who love prehistoric fiction.
Prehistoric mankind or rather womankind gives a feminist punch. After reading this story you’ll ask yourself: ‘what the heck happened to female power?’ Battle of the sexes begins early.
This is the second book in the author’s The Crossroads Trilogy and it was a roller coaster of a ride. We follow Xhosa and her People as they escape the Big Heads and set off to find a new home. They try to avoid dangerous animals, other humanoids and the unpredictability of Mother Nature, however, there is something more perilous within her own People than Xhosa expected.
J. Murray’s attention to the landscape is a tribute to her research to a period of time that is long gone. The setting adds to the danger and atmosphere of the story, especially when events change, and a twist in character development. I did enjoy this element to the storyline, it added anticipation and made it difficult to put the book down.
The extra characters and the addition of a new tribe enhances the storyline and how the People adjust to new individuals that occur in groups and learning new skills. I particularly enjoyed the journey of Xhosa’s People, and felt as if I was there with them, tasting the food they ate, the water they drank and trembling at the freezing temperatures encountered while travelling across the mountains.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction with a particular interest in our world’s prehistory and development should read this book. I’ve learnt more about the landscape and the hardships, and really appreciated how the People and Xhosa went about their lives, losing close companions, all of which was part of their normal experiences. Now, that is resilience! Where did we go wrong?
Jacqui Murray has released another book in her prehistoric man series: The Quest for Home. With this volume she’s managed an extremely difficult trick—a sequel that picks up where the last book left off, and yet a reader who’s new to the series can start with this story and be totally engaged. If you’re not an author, maybe you don’t know how hard this is, but picture me bowing very low in homage. This constitutes a real writing victory. Trust me on this.
I call it a prehistoric man series, but the tale actually focuses on a woman—Xhosa, a strong female protagonist if there ever was one. When the story opens, Xhosa is yanked back to awareness by sheer blinding pain. She had no idea it was possible to hurt this much. And when she recalls the events that led to her torment, it only gets worse. Hawk, the warrior and leader who was going to be her mate, is gone, lost in the battle that led to her wounding. And as she tries to pick up the pieces of what her life has become and carry on, it becomes clear that she doesn’t know who she can trust now.
Meticulously researched and so vividly portrayed, The Quest for Home chronicles the Homo Erectus tribes as they spread across Eurasia in search of a new place that they can make theirs and theirs alone. We might tend to root for Homo Sapiens since that’s what we are, but our direct ancestors were relentless persecutors of Home Erectus. And that’s not even counting to formidable difficulties of weather, predators, treachery from within, and simply finding enough to eat. Our prehistoric ancestors were tough, facing challenges that would overwhelm most of us. I developed a serious sense of respect for these long-ago characters. That’s how real their portrayal is.
All lovers of the bestselling Clan of the Cave Bear should check out this book. You can thank me later.
This picks up where the last one left off. Xhosa and her people are still searching for the right place to call home, surviving as best they can what their environment throws at them, and dealing with loss as it comes. At least Xhosa has her tight-knit group – and her wolf! – to depend on. Even when betrayal comes from someone close to her…
“Pain came first, pulsing through her body like cactus spines.” Such great imagery in this book!
The world-building is superb, the character growth believable and the details of how they lived enriches the story. So much research must have gone into this series! Pre-historic fiction has found its place on my shelf thanks to this author.
A must-read if you like adventure, survival and strong female characters.
*I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest opinion.